American Colors – The Myth Of OJ And The Truth About Zimmerman

( 4UMF NEWS ) American Colors - The Myth Of OJ And The Truth About Zimmerman:

On October 3, 1995, white folks everywhere from Kalamazoo to Kansas were up in arms that OJ Simpson got away with murder. Simpson, the first running back to rush for 2,000 yards in a single season, was beloved by white America even after he retired from football and became an actor and national spokesperson for Hertz rental car company, hurdling suitcases and bypassing travelers in the commercials. How could this big, strong Black man so callously murder his ex-wife Nicole Brown Simpson and her unsuspecting male friend who just so happened to be at the wrong place at the wrong time? Why had the jury not seen that? What was wrong with these 12 people? How could they let a killer back on the streets?

Meanwhile on the other side of the coin, Black folks were celebrating Simpson's acquittal like they won the lotto. You would think that the first Black president was elected with the way some of them were hooting and hollering in the streets. “Not Guilty” parties and “He Got Off” fetes were held all across America. With the wounds of Rodney King's attackers in police uniform still stinging, Simpson getting off was like a middle finger to the system. Although the four officers were acquitted three years earlier, the memory and the pain still resided. While the justice system virtually failed King and reminded Blacks just where they stood in this country, the Simpson verdict was a wake up call to white folks. By no means did it even the score but in a lot of people’s eyes, it was long overdue for whites to be failed by the justice system, for them to be on the losing side of history just once. That was what people were celebrating. It wasn’t OJ, the person; he was the symbol for Black folks everywhere that maybe, just maybe, there was hope that white people wouldn’t always be the winner.

On February 26, 2012, George Zimmerman once again brought up those two old feelings, two opposite sides of the race coin. However, this time things are reversed. A white man who essentially hunted a17-year-old Black male like a lion hot on the trails of an unsuspecting gazelle. Trayvon Martin committed no crime as he walked back to his father's place armed with only a bottle of Snapple and a bag of Skittles, hardly any kind match for a teen against the 5’8”, 170 lb Zimmerman and his Kel Tec PF 9.

So when a jury of five white and one Hispanic women found Zimmerman not guilty, Martin's parents were not alone when they asked where was the justice? How could a grown man, blatantly disregarding the orders of the 911 operator, chase after someone for no reason other than his hoodie and the color of his skin only to shoot him down and then cry self defense afterwards? How could he possibly get away with murder? There were no celebrations at barbershops or beauty salons, no high-fiving or joyous yells in the street. Instead, people filled the streets in anger and protest, marches and rallies from New York to San Francisco were held, “I Am Trayvon Martin” signs raised high, hoodies worn in solidarity. This man literally got away with murder.

And then from that coin, you would hear "Well, how was Zimmerman to know he was just a kid?" or "It was such an unfortunate situation but he doesn't deserve to go to jail" or "He was just exercising his goddamn American right!" Fifteen and a half years later, it's now white America shrugging off the death of Martin, seeing it as the justice system working the way it's supposed to. To them, the justice system got it wrong 15 years ago but that was just a glitch in the machine; order has been restored.

Two sides. Either you believed Zimmerman was innocent or guilty. If you rejoiced when Simpson walked 15 years ago, chances are you were upset when Zimmerman got off, too.

If there's any consolation, there's this: much like Simpson was thumbing up his freedom in the faces of white people everywhere claiming to be looking for the "real killer" on the golf course only to wind up facing life in prison, so too will be Zimmerman’s fate. Hopefully...

Since his acquittal earlier this year, the 30-year-old unemployed killer has not managed to stay off of the police radar. Just a few weeks ago, Zimmerman was arrested for allegedly pointing a gun and threatening his pregnant girlfriend during an argument in their Florida home. Two months before that Zimmerman was detained for allegedly doing the same thing; only this time his intended targets were his estranged wife (who had lied for him and was subsequently arrested for this) and his father-in-law. Do we see a pattern here?